The infinite chaos of wonder
by TheSoulWritesWords
Summary: "No, it can't be…that's impossible…". They say that when you are not looking for something, it's discovered right in front of you. The Doctor has lived too long and seen too much to believe that, but maybe, just this once, the Universe has decided to give him something back. Infinity series Book 1.
1. Prologue

**The infinite chaos of wonder**

**So, finally! The first chapter of my next Doctor who story. I actually have lots of pretty rough drafts for later chapters already, but they will need a lot of refining. I 'm afraid you can't expect very regular updates, but I am going to do my best. I suppose I can give also give you this spoiler; I am hoping to turn this into a sort of trilogy, and I do have some drafts of the third story! Its' a long way down the line, but there is more in the works! I 've been struggling to get this one rolling, then actually got it finished in pretty much the last three days, which is good, because I set the 23****rd**** August-the start of the new series, as my deadline! I knew I would find it really hard to start this fic after I start watching Peter Capaldi, because then I would have to finally, properly admit that there is no more Eleven! sob.**

**So without further ado; (and please review!) ha, that rhymed!**

**Prologue**

_Grysysin, Orion, Siddian Constellation, 18'10GY (Galaxy Year)._

Grsysin city on Orion, is the third largest of four satellites in the constellation. Home to 3.6 million people. just over eighty percent are indigenous species, Oritons. The remainder hail from all reaches within the constellation. The streets are broad and filled with people. The buildings are tall and elegantly simple. Today is Siet'cha day-a market of noise and colour and scents. People selling wares, herder-men bustling their animals. The pungence of burning spices and the flash of the small white sun on jeweller's trinkets. Maralim smiles as he lays out his _leab-an_, brightly-coloured sleeping mats. Today will be a good day, he feels. Then through the throng, something ripples. A disturbance, preceded by turning heads, voices raised in indignation. It comes closer, people begin to press aside, a path being forged through the crush.

It is a girl, running. Maralim frowns. Today is not a day for running. The people are too many, the sun too hot. Ah- but she is not a native of this planet-hair the colour of starlight! She runs past his stall, the crowd a little thinner here. People are trying to avoid being crushed against the ancient brick stands, and cluster away from his wares; Maralim wonders at her behavior. She goes past, and Maralim sees her eyes are the colour of the water that pools at the foot of the Red Hills-how strange! But then she looks behind and he sees she is afraid.

Maralim does not know it, but the girl's name is Jenny.

Then the crowd closes again and she is gone. He looks after her, and ponders.

Ci'yuah hums to herself as she settles her sack more firmly on her hip. She is walking quickly, for today is Siet-cha day. She turns out of her home alley, onto the broader side street, and is nearly knocked over by someone coming the other way.

"_Siha!_ Watch where you step, the sun at your back! Pay heed-"

It is a man, a man from Far-off. His clothes are strange. His eyes are the colour of grass under sunlight, and deep like the pools under the bithan trees; still, where you cannot see the bottom-oh! He speaks her tongue, apologises for his mistake. She wonders how he speaks so well. He strides on then, steps long and quick.

"_Wait! What is your name, stranger?" _Ci'yuah calls after him. And then she wonders if he does not speak so well, for surely that is not the word of his name; the Doctor?


	2. Chapter 1

**I. **

**Qoud Invenitur**

_**What is found**_

"_You be you and I'll be me, today and today and today, and let's trust the future to tomorrow. Let the stars keep track of us. Let us ride our own orbits and trust that they will meet. May our reunion be not a finding but a sweet collision of destinies!" _

― _Jerry Spinelli, __Love, Stargirl_

"Eh? What are you doing?" the Doctor looks up with a frown as the TARDIS suddenly shudders. A moment later he rushes into the console room, a deep hum vibrating under his hands as he reaches the controls.

"_Oh_, now-Orion! _Orion_, I said!" he moves around the console, flicking the zig-zag plotter and then pulling over the monitor. "There, now. What were you-" he is pitched back against the guard rail as the ship rolls again. The Time Lord straightens himself out, smoothing his lapels as the deep thump announces their arrival. He marches for the doors, turning to scowl and wag a finger before stepping out.

"You…why you contrary…" he mutters, gazing at the city below him. It is Orion, but two hundred years earlier than when he had wanted.

He suddenly pauses then, one foot in the TARDIS and one out. For a moment, there was-he frowns. Just for a _moment_ he _felt..._something.

"What have you found for me this time, Old Girl?" he murmurs. He whirls in place to pull the doors shut, then revolves again. These adventures she dropped him in were always the best. Beaming, the Doctor strides off down the hill.

"I'm looking for parts for my ship-a new Thermo cooler." Jenny approaches the desk. The person behind it has very large, dark eyes and cobalt skin. The face is quite human, but sharp cheekbones and pointed ears. The first 'alien' Jenny saw was a red-scaled Salaman woman on Trika, and nearly started a row with her partner when he saw her stares of astonished horror.

"What model?" a distinctly male voice asks. He looks up with a smile of pointed teeth.

"Xeno 568."

"Origin?"

"Messaline."

"Messaline? Long way from home then. Travelling around?"

"Yeah…I'm taking a post here, actually." Suddenly remembering that she has no currency as she watches him pull out the parts list.

"Right-you have a grade One, Two, or Three. Three is the best, but it requires a bit more know-how and maintenance every so often, but it will last you."

"One is fine, thanks…eh, do you take concessions?"

"..I do," he says a bit more warily "But it depends on time period, amounts-"

"I'll pay it back as soon as I can-I'll get monthly pay from my posting, so.."

"Monthly should be alright-but I need character references."

"What?"

"People to vouch for you-you are who say you are, reliable, pay your debts…"

"But why-I mean-" she corrects herself "I don't know anyone, I've just arrived-"

He huffs "Don't have to be here-anyone who knows you well; friends, family, colleagues. Let's say by the start of Vanirl."

"When?"

"3 weeks time…it's the Siddian calendar-you ever been to the west Arm at all before, girl? He frowns at her.

"Travelling, like you said. Could you point me to the Barracks?"

"And what previous military service experience do you have?" Colonel Rabdin looks at her across the desk. Jenny left the Shuttle depot realizing that it would have been far better to go to barracks first and make sure she was actually going to be _getting_ a monthly pay from her posting-and now here she was, being interviewed by Colonel Rabdin, one of the few human-looking people she has seen so far.

"I received my training on Messaline, sir and served for two years. Then I travelled to Trika and served with their Civil Guard for 6 months." She really hopes he doesn't ask for details of her 'training'. All her military knowledge she has is thanks to the Machine. When she had tried to explain this on Yihran, a small planet she went to after Trika, hearing of prospects for a posting, everyone reacted with disbelief. When she proved it, they told her to leave, looking decidedly uneasy.

"I see…And how old are you?"

"….Nineteen, sir." Jenny lies. On Trika, she was refused when she said she was seventeen, and then was eventually accepted when half a squadron suddenly vanished on patrol. She then discovered seventeen was considered very young on this human colony, and that the legal age of adulthood was nineteen.

"Service age was seventeen on Messaline?" he looks at her a little harder.

"Well, eighteen sir, but my whole family was involved in one or another, and I was inducted as the youngest recruit."

"I see. Last name?"

"Cobb." It was the first name that had popped into her head on Trika, and she can hardly use 'Doctor'.

"Well, you seem sharp enough and you have received good training. I'll give you a preliminary posting for two weeks. Prove yourself, and you stay."

"Yes Sir. Thank you."

"Dismissed. You'll be shown to your quarters. Present yourself to me at 800 hours tomorrow."

Jenny salutes him and leaves, unable to stop herself grinning as she walks away.

Colonel Rabdin nods to her as he leaves his office and Jenny falls into step beside him as they go down the corridor. The barracks is large and sprawling, made of a pale yellow stone. The wooden doors are reinforced with metal and the windows are protected by grating. _Conflicts here in the past,_ Jenny thinks. She shares her small matchbox room with two other female soldiers. One has ridged cheekbones and black eyes, and is beautiful in a distinctly dangerous sort of way. The other is blue skinned with pale hair.

"We have over three hundred active soldiers on duty currently. You will be posted at Fradden Gate, near the outskirts of the city, eight miles East of here, with five others."

"Seems like a lot of people for a gate. Is there hostility at the location?"

Rabdin turns to glare at her and Jenny realizes she spoke aloud.

"I'm sorry sir, I'm not questioning your orders-I didn't mean to speak out of place-"

"See that you don't, " he growls "and watch your tongue, you seem clever enough to be able to think before you speak-anymore of that and you are dismissed. This isn't your family gathering on Messaline. Understood, Cadet Cobb?" he barks, and Jenny snaps her heels together in reflex.

"Yes sir." She tells him sharply, kicking herself for not being more careful.

"Good." They have a reached a large, open parade ground. An idling truck and soldier stand to their left. "Ibron will see you to your post. Report back here in seven days." The colonel nods to both soldiers sharply as they salute him and turns on his heel.

"Hello….what's this then…?" the Doctor's deep set green eyes sharpen, and he takes the sonic screwdriver from his pocket. The buzz resonates strangely in the vast empty space he is stood in; an old warehouse, closely resembling an Earth submarine bunker built by humans during one of their many wars. He spotted it because it was on a hill, and while this didn't seem out of the ordinary, assuming it to be important or a place of worship, when he reached it he discovered that there were guards and wire and keep out signs. A flash of the psychic paper and he found that inside, it was empty except for broken packing cases in a corner and a creaking, rusty elevator. On five of the six floors he got out and investigated, all were empty.

Now he is down on the bottom floor. The air smells like acid and metal; the building has been reinforced with steel the deeper he has gone and the sonic vibrations rebound off the surfaces, echoing around him, and the readings inform him the soil is acidic due to a natural mineral.

"ooh…" he makes a hum of delighted curiosity and holds the sonic close to his face as he reads it.

"Vibrations…" he hums, and holding the sonic before him, sets off in a bent walk. The entire length must have been at least half a football field, he realizes, impressed. He comes to a far dark corner.

"Aha!" there is another elevator shaft, lit by a dim red bulb. The Doctor notices that the lift is in the same condition as all the others, but there is black electronic pad with a red light, requiring some sort of electrical scan or key. "A remote activation….?" He aims the sonic and the door slides open. He steps in, eyes taking in each detail, and descends into musty darkness. Unlike the others, he notices, this lift works smoothly and more quietly, as if oiled or frequently used.

The green pinprick from the sonic the only light. He can feel vibrations himself now, through the soles of his boots. There is a deep, churning roar coming from somewhere.

Stepping out, he moves towards the noise. "Deeper base vibrations should…_ooh_-" he aims the sonic towards the source of the sound, and the noise is amplified.

"That's a heck of a piece of machinery.." he mutters, as the grinding of pistons and mechanics becomes clearer.

_Eeeeeee-_An alarm suddenly splits the silence, shatteringly loud.

"-oh." Says the Doctor. He turns, and there is a guard coming towards him. They don't have their weapons armed, but they don't seem pleased either.

"Sir, I'll have to escort you out." It's the commanding officer he duped at the entrance. He has to lean in and yell to make himself heard.

"Oh-not to worry, I was just making sure that your alarm is functioning properly!" the Doctor says cheerily in a shout, due to the obvious functioning of said alarm. Behind his back, he touches a switch on the sonic, and the alarm shuts off.

"Marvelous, all in perfect working order. I will still need to inform your…the head of-" his is interrupted.

"-All the same, sir. You shouldn't be down on here, we require advance notice, to accompany any personnel."

"Now listen, I'm the –"

"This way, now, please." And the soldier shifts his gun pointedly in his grip.

"So, how long have you been posted here?" Jenny asks Ibron as she switches her Compact Pradiz gun to the other shoulder. It's a good weapon, lightweight carbonic alloy, very durable, firing twenty three millimeter rounds a second.

"A year."

"What is this location?"

He glances at her sideways. "Fradden Gate." He says slowly, as if she is stupid.

"I know, but why post five soldiers? It doesn't seem hostile."

"Mind your work." He frowns at her and moves away.

Jenny looks after him, wondering why everyone seems reluctant to disclose information. She is standing at the bottom of hill, in one of a number of sentry boxes. There is a large, imposing stone building on the hill and wire fencing all around creates a sort of compound. The only entrance appears to be a broad road curving away from where she is stood. Everything points to high security measures, yet she has seen nothing in the six days she has been here. The sky is deepening and the sun sinking as she looks out.

"Swapping to Nights soon." Ibron tells her, as he returns from a patrol of the perimeter.

"Yeah. I can-" she is cut off by the sound of engines and a moment later a heavily armoured truck appears around the bend.

"Open the gate!" a faint shout drifts up as Ibron and another soldier hurry down down the steps from the wall to the gate house. The shadows of armed men are faintly silhouetted in the yellow wash of headlights as the darkness gathers. As Jenny watches, two hop out of the truck and stand facing the dark beyond the floodlights. A moment later, three people suddenly barrel into the light. They pull up short, then are joined by three more, until there is a large crowd. They are holding posters and billboards and yells of anger begin rising. More movement to Jenny's left, and three of her fellow sentries go clattering down the watch tower steps. She watches them re-emerge a few moments later at the bottom and run tape out, cutting off the protesters from the gate, just outside the circle of light, then stand with their weapons drawn.

"It's called the Invicxia Project."

"What?" Jenny turns as Ibron comes up beside her. It's well after midnight, and they are on the pre-dawn Night watch.

"This, Fradden Gate, it's the entrance to Invicxia Headquarters. It's a mining project, for Creimand, a valuable mineral. They started about a year ago, everyone was trying to stop it happening, but…" he sighs and knocks his fist against the railing.

'Why?"

"They come in, extract everything without care for the environment or local people and infrastructure and then leave. And usually the town is just…left, because everyone moves out when a company like this comes in, it causes so much friction."

"But what about jobs? I mean, you're here."

"Yeah, not like most of these people have a choice though, is it? after this, I don't know what job I'll be able to find. Most people are bribed to co operate, turn a blind eye to unlawful things, and then most people don't care, because they profit."

"That's awful."

"See that building? That's not actually HQ, it's just to keep the protestors away. That's why they have us here, to make it look important. But there's nothing there, it's just a decoy."

"What? But they can't do that!"

He laughs mirthlessly "Oh, they _so_ can."

"-They can't-People should know! I'm going to tell the Colonel, and-"

"No! No, Jenny, you can't tell anyone! Didn't you sign that contract?"

"Yeah, so? They're lying-"

"We're not allowed. If you tell anyone, they'll Court Marshall you and probably execute you."

"What?" Jenny stares at him.

"The Government is corrupt, has been for years. There was already unrest but this project has tipped it over the edge. If you go against the Project, you're going against your Government, and that's treason." He nearly sounds like he's reciting it.

"But they can't _execute _people!"

"They can," Irbron says darkly, then more quietly, "they have."


	3. Chapter 2

"I am an Inspector of the project, you are interfering!" The Doctor's protests are ignored as the soldiers escort him firmly back to the surface.

"Now-just a minute!" he whirls himself around to face them, straightening his bow tie and tugging his lapels with an expression not unlike that of an affronted cat. He holds the Psychic paper up to the face of the nearest man (praying it will display the same 'credentials' declaring him an Inspector of the Invicxia Project, as it did the Commanding Officer).

"You see-_Inspector_. Where is your over-seeing Commander?"

"The location of that facility is meant to be confidential. Sir." Adds the commander as an after thought.

"Yes, well, you can un-confident it to me, I'm the Inspector, I need to know!"

"We'd to sign a contract, sir, we can't-" Pipes up one of the soldiers, as if to appease him. The Doctor holds up a hand. The soldier shuts his mouth.

"You there." He points to another soldier. "What is that building?" he indicates the hulking grey building behind it's fences.

He blinks "Uh, well…Fradden House, sir."

"Exactly." Brilliant, now he had a name- "And what does it serve as?"

"Uh, it's not-there's nothing in it, it's just to keep protestors away from real HQ-" (Interesting, so not even these guards know the truth.). The Doctor files this away for later and continues.

"-Precisely. Those pesky protestors. And you patrol down to what level of the building?"

This time the soldier is blank with surprise. "The fifth floor….the last floor." _Ah_, very interesting.

"Good, job well done!" he clasps his hands. "So, I need to go to HQ to file a report, which means I need to now where HQ is. _Now_." he adds warningly, when the Commander looks like he wants to protest.

When the soldiers finally disclose the whereabouts of HQ and the Doctor turns for the centre of the city, he pauses as…_something_ shivers through him. It's the same thing he felt as he stepped out of the TARDIS earlier. He stops. It almost felt like…no, of course not. Wishings of an old man. There was no one left for him to feel.

The Doctor sighs and continues into the night.

Jenny pauses, holding her breath.

She clenches the electric key fob she managed to pinch from the Commanding officer in her fist. She had noticed a lift shaft hidden behind a stack of packing crates on her last 'patrol' through the empty building, and decide she would investigate at the net chance she had.

She listens as the footsteps and torchlight move away, then darts around the corner. Oriton nights are cold, and her breath pearls in the dim light as she pauses again. She scans the dark, looking for the 'landmarks' she picked out for herself on the way down. There-she spots the exit sign illuminated on the wall, close to the air duct she came in by. She goes to dart across, then freezes at the sound of voices. From both sides.

She whirls and dashes back the way she came, through the door and into the vast space on the warehouse floor. Voices and torchlight, closer now. _No cover available_ _no weapons Combat unadvisable_-Jenny sprints for the distant crates on the other side-

"Hey!"

Her hearts stop-

"-Iyita, you check that compressor?" he's coming through the service door ahead of her, no no _no_-Jenny swerves for the elevator-it's too loud but if she can get in maybe she can hide, it's dark-

"Wh-Hey! What-you, _stop_!"

"Ixs!" Jenny swears under her breath and keeps going.

"I said stop! Iyita, Navron, here-get the lights!" he's coming after her now, yelling over his shoulder for reinforcements-

_Disadvantage three to one enemy has greater knowledge of environment armed-_

In the dark, Jenny doesn't realize how close she is, and crashes against the safety gate of the lift. But she can't find the lever to open it.

The guards are getting closer. Panic suddenly seizes her breath just as Jenny wrenches it open and throws herself in, hits the button but then there's a guard there too, reaching for her-awful fear wells up and then the doors are closing and she's rising-

"How the hell did they get in?"

Did you see?"

"No-damn protestors!"

"We'll find you!"

"Ixs, the Inspector was just-"

Jenny clenches her fists and tries to squash the remnants of terror as her breaths fill the quiet, the soldiers voices fading. She had to tell them what was really under the Fradden building. The doors open and she starts running.

"Did you hear?" Ibron greets her with a smile as he hands her a cup of _chocal,_ a spiced chocolate drink.

"Hear what?" she tries to keep her voice neutral.

"There was an Inspector up there two nights ago. He was down in the basement, apparently. No idea why, there's nothing down there…". he shrugs and stirs his tea.

"Yeah…" Jenny slowly releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding as he turns to look out over the compound. The rising sun is burning away tendrils of mist. She wondered what Ibron would say if he knew the truth-that there were actually six floors, and machinery below that building? Or that Jenny was nearly caught by the guards on the way up last night? She didn't want to get him in trouble of course, but she needed to tell someone. One person was least threat, but more…

"Ibron…There's-last night I went down into Fradden building." She blurts as he looks at her.

"You did _what_?" he stares, aghast.

"I know-but listen-it's all machinery, far underground. They've been saying it's HQ but that it's actually empty to keep the protestors away but it's not-there's floors of equipment and-"

"Hold on." He stops her. "You went down there! You could be ex-"

"I know, but listen! It's not empty, we are here for a reason, there's machinery down there, but Head Quarters must be somewhere else, in the city."

"Then, they must know, the guys posted up there…" he looks at her, face pale. "But what do we do? Rabdin won't hear a-"

"Cadet Cobb?" They have been so absorbed in their hushed conversation they never noticed a Lieutenant approach them. They both start and look around.

"Colonel Rabdin wishes to see you, he said immediately." Behind him, there are two other men. Both armed.

Jenny's stomach twists. Across from her, she can see the horror in Ibron's face.

"Sure," her voice is calm. "I'll just sign over this shift to him." Ibron steps in with her as they walk to the gate.

"What do I do?" she whispers, and realizes her heart is pounding with fear.

"Get out. You came here in your ship, yeah? It's only two miles from here, going East. It's market day, go through the crowds-"

"I can't get two miles in time, what-"

"You can! I'll stall them," they go around the guard post at the gate, which is mercifully empty. They are walking faster now. "Listen, Sahg Alley, at the top of market street by the lake, my cousin lives there, she'll help you, her name is Mara'lim-"

They are nearly jogging now out the side gate, and sure enough-

"Hey! Stop them!" The shouts rise, and then the pound of boots along the top of the wall as they rush down to the compound.

"Go, quick!" The land is suddenly steep here, and they drop into a clump of bushes. Ibron points her down the hill to their left, where there is cover under the trees growing along the small river. "You know the way?"

"Yes." Adrenaline is over riding fear. "Give me your gun."

"_Stop them!_" a soldier just bursts out of the side gate above them.

"Sorry. Be careful." Jenny says, and raises the gun.

"I will. You too." She cracks the gun against the side of his head and he drops, dazed.

Then Jenny turns and bolts. For the second time in two days, she's running for her life.

**3**

"Curiouser and curiouser…" the Doctor mutters as he walks along. In the streets , there are signs and posters protesting the Invixcia Project. The people all eye him uneasily and are reluctant to talk, although he learns eventually that a number of protests had taken place there, with some of the early ones leading to injured protestors. Yet the soldiers up at Fradden Gate didn't seem to know they were on top of the machinery running the whole thing, but the 'decoy' was obviously working. Even when he had flashed the Psychic paper at a shop owner, the man still refused to tell the 'head of Foreign Corporations Regulation' about the protests.

"We don't know things. We can't say anything we know-It's punishable by death!"

The Doctor's brow furrows. "The Project invigilators are executing protestors?"

"No-the Government, If you speak against the Project. Bit heavy handed on Oriton, always have been, but nothing so long as you keep your toe behind the line. Strong punishments for law breaking, but execution for speaking out!" the man slaps down the cloth he is holding with a huff. _Shaxsten_ politicians! Always with their own agendas, never a thought for the people who voted and put them there in the first place." The man pauses in his tirade to muse "Bit strange though, they must have had one of those Seat re-shuffles or something, because my daughter's son went in two terms ago. Doing vwell he was, popular you know, then ten months ago they say he's been posted to the Immigrant outpost on the North moon! Not a by-your leave! That was it! She's right torn up, hasn't heard from him."

The Doctor's frown deepens. "Strange, yes…"

The soldiers were unaware they were actually guarding machinery, believing it was all a façade. The Commanding officer though…the Doctor had a feeling he was a direct relay to the overseers of the project. He didn't seem native to the area, and it was odd that he was alone on his patrol when he came across the Doctor on the bottom level. An alarm like that would surely be linked to triggers on the surface, and bring the whole patrol running. The people here were clearly afraid, of the impacts of the Project, and their own Government. And stories like that nephew's were rarely innocent as they sounded.

"One rotten apple turns the whole barrel…" he mutters to himself, as he flicked open the sonic to see where he was-nearly at HQ. Corrupt governments, odd disappearances and damaging foreign investments, did people never change? The Doctor is so wrapped up in his thoughts he isn't watching where he is going, and collides with something. Rather, someone. He apologises to the woman on her way to market, slightly surprised she asked for his name. All the locals seemed wary of him, as he was a foreigner (though he supposed he had been asking rather a lot of questions). Two blocks later and the Doctor is in front of surprisingly non-descript building, but with an armed guard at the entrance.

"Right. Time to find out who's pulling the strings."

"Ixs!" Jenny swears and pulls back as bullets chip the ground beside her. They resorted to their guns when Jenny succeeded in keeping them at a distance all the way up the river and onto the smaller by-road into the city. Her gun is long empty, although she only succeeded in injuring in two of them. Jenny found herself unable to take more…._damaging_ shots. She's kept moving towards the centre and the buildings provide cover and brief respite spots. It's been more tiring making sure they can't get a good shot-all they need is to clip her in the leg or shoulder to catch up. Jenny is exhausted, running on adrenaline and fear now. She's not sure she can reach her ship, so she's relying on getting to Ibron's cousin. But there have been no people, until she remembers it's market day, and the crowds will be on market street.

"Cadet! Stand down!" one of them yells across to her, clearly getting frustrated by the merry chase she has led them on.

"Not likely, boys." Jenny grits her teeth and draws her feet under her as she crouches, getting ready to run again. The market is _just_ there-

_Bang!_ A bullet strikes the steel drum behind her and the girl leaps upwards, galvanized into action. She leaps up bent double and swerves, just getting around the corner of the building-and there is a wall of people. Jenny doesn't waste time and shoves forward, ignoring the protests. _They will not fire on civilians_-Still ploughing through, she is over halfway down and people begin to clear away for her, catching sight of the pursuing soldiers with fear in their faces. Jenny is running again now, and bursts onto the street that runs perpendicular at the end. She dashes left and then tries to stop so suddenly she nearly goes flat on her back.

There is a soldier pointing a gun at her head. Jenny whirls desperately, gets three steps and there is another and terror paralyzes her like a rabbit before a fox.

"Thought you'd get away, eh?" the soldier behinds gives her a shove in the back with the muzzle of his gun. He looks cross and hot under the sun.

"_March_, Cadet."

"What…" the Doctor breathes. Something, some…._feeling_ had rooted him to the spot, rushing up visceral and sharp. Then it was gone. He continues across the street, suddenly feeling uneasy. There was something else going on, and he didn't like it. The thing he had felt was fear.

Puzzled, the soldier on the gate shades his eyes to look across the street, at a man there. He is tall and thin, wearing a curious coat. He began walking across the road then paused suddenly, very still, then whirled in place, scanning around as if searching for something. The guard rolls his eyes as he simply continues across towards him.

Foreigners.

Jenny looks around carefully as they enter. They are in a large, high ceilinged room, metal struts vaulting the roof. The walls are grey white and all light is artificial. _Underground, then._ The place hums with the static warmth of electrics from the banks of computers and monitors lining the walls.

There are twenty people in the room. The three nearest to her seem to be technicians or below the rank of Lieutenant-_not too much of threat_; a woman is peering at a monitor. Two other people with clipboards are watching scrolling binary to her left. On the far side of the room there is a young man, talking earnestly to an older man opposite. The elder is decorated, and although she doesn't recognise all the ranks of this military, she would guess General.

No one has payed any attention to them. The guard behind her nudges her with the muzzle of his Patron and steps them into a corner. Jenny fights to keep still in the pressing heat and blipping tuneless notes of computers. Now that she is still, no longer consumed with running, the adrenaline is fading, and her muscles are aching.

Suddenly, the quiet is broken by a disturbance at the centre of the room; The young man who had been talking to the general flings up his hands with a bark of annoyance, standing ramrod straight and then thrusting himself a step closer in the other man's space.

Jenny's attention was not piqued not by the disturbance, but by the reactions of the room to the man himself. Every guard had drawn his weapon and focused on him. The remaining occupants all stepped back in one movement. The General gestures for them to lower the weapons, just as the stranger says (without even looking around),

"Oh, put them away!" With scathing derision, not fear or alarm.

Alert, Jenny watches the men stand off. They stand glaring at each other, until suddenly the younger-looking pulls back, eyes widening in a realization.

"Oh." He breathes blankly. "_Oh_…" Jenny stares in surprise as the man abruptly strikes himself on the forehead with the heel of his hand.

"_You're_ the Government. You're Invicxia." Stupid Doctor, how could he not have seen this? "Let me guess….there was a Coup d'état …You came in, head of the company and made a proposal to mine the Creimand mineral. The Oriton Government accepted even though there was disagreement. But then it became unrest, protestors kept getting in the way, you had to spend resources on setting up Fradden House as a façade to keep them away and the Oriton Government were doing nothing. So you…_.relieved_ the President of his post and bribed or assassinated the other members of Cabinet. " The Doctor's voice has a snarl in it now.

General Grayhir smiles unpleasantly. "Very good, Doctor. Right on all counts. Colonel Rabdin was most helpful as head of the military, setting it all in motion."

As he speaks, the man himself enters. His eyes happen on Jenny as he crosses the room, and there is a malicious glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Jenny glares with all the hate she can muster.

The room is still watching the trio of men. Jenny quickly analyses the faces nearest and sees they are tense and wary, some even afraid.

"How many people have you executed since this _Project_ began?" The Doctor asks, dangerously quiet.

"Precisely who do you think you are, coming in here to challenge us? What are you attempting to achieve? You can't think anything is going to happen to you besides execution?" Rabdin glowers at the foreigner.

"What I am doing is returning this Government to it's people and overthrowing the murdering thugs who took over." The Doctor's words are hard and clipped. "Now, you can admit your crimes and stand trial before a humane court of law. Or I can simply throw you to the thousand odd people outside your front door."

"What-you-_shaxsten_-" Grayhir is pale

"How did you-" Rabdin is spitting with fury.

"This has been emitting short length radio waves since you brought me through that door. It's been recording your entire conversation." The Doctor clasps his hands, and reaching into his jacket, flicks his sonic into the air. "And also, some of these lovely chaps are locals, I think." Three soldiers who had been standing by are watching on with shock that is quickly turning to rage.

"That is the what. As for the _who,_ well…you'd have been better off never running into me." The Doctor's smile is cold. "So the rabble-" there is a distant crash, rattling the instruments in the room, and then the faint sound of voices "-ah, speaking of!" The Doctor glances up to the ceiling, "Or the Courts. Which by the way, I must tell you, would probably be look quite harshly on the overthrowing of the Government, murdering innocent civilians, ruining the local environment and bribery to keep afore mentioned deeds under wraps!" The Doctor ends his tirade with a clap of hands, and both Rabdin and Grayhir start. They haven't said a word, utterly transfixed by every move the Doctor makes. The Time Lord steps in and looks at each of them and his voice is dark. "Your choice, gentlemen."

He turns and leaves them standing there, only pausing to clap one of the soldiers on the back and whisper something in his ear.

As if his movement broke a spell, the rest of the room did two things; many people turned and simply ran for the door, either members of the just-toppled 'government' or locals keen to leave or join the rabble, which by the sounds of it, are only one floor above now. The remainder are eerily still and move in towards the two disgraced military men.

Jenny suddenly remembers her guard, and whirls to look at him. He starts, bringing the gun up on instinct. But then he hesitates, and Jenny steps into him and wrenches the gun away. Jenny tilts back, intending to knock him out, when something clips her shoulder, making her stumble.

The mob have burst in. The man who knocked her is already moving forward, focused on the General and the Colonel. _Not a threat._ The soldier is gone, too. For a second, Jenny stands in the chaos, utterly relieved. Then there is someone in front of her.

"Ibron!" Relieved, she hugs him and he grins. "You're ok?"

"Yeah, they believed me when I said that you took me at gun point-but then they were all up in arms about you, but Rabdin got called to HQ, then this man showed up, most of us recognised him because he's been in all the protests, he said this foreigner was asking him questions, said he knew the truth of what was happening and to round people up outside HQ. We didn't believe him, but he had a bunch of people with him, and we're all against it anyway so we came, and here I am! I can' t believe it!"

"Neither can I." Jenny said fervently. Things were moving fast, suddenly. In the space of three hours was she was running for her, life, caught, awaiting execution and then instead witnessing a new coup.

"Good luck, Jenny, eh? May you have bright stars to guide your travel." Ibron is being pushed away slowly by the tide of people still coming.

"You too!" Jenny grins a farewell, and turns, moving to the edge of the room and towards the door. Her mind is in a whirl, and as she goes to step through the door, she doesn't notice the foreigner on the other other side, leaning against the wall.

"_Jenny?_"


	4. Chapter 3

**So, last chapter! Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews. This was quite short, this fic is a sort of prequel/ the first in hopefully a trilogy. The next story is in progress, I'll try and get the first chapter up as soon as I can.**

**III.**

'_The sweetness of reunion is the joy of heaven'_

Richard Paul Evans, _lost December_.

There is a man standing four paces in front of her, deep-set green eyes mapping her face. He is tall and thin, wearing a tweed jacket and a blue bowtie. Slim ankles, shown by black trousers just a little too short above worn brown boots. His hands are long, one twitching at his side, the other curled up on his chest. He doesn't appear to be armed. He's looking at her like…

Then he breathes "No, it can't be…it's impossible..."

His hearts are clenched to stillness, his breath clogging in his throat. It _is_ her. "Jenny…?"

"Yes?" impatient. Nothing in her eyes as she looks at him.

Jenny. His Jenny. His _daughter_.

He realizes he's staring when she speaks again. "-Look, I don't know who you are, but I was told the Doctor is here. Do you know where he is?" she glares when he doesn't answer, irritated, and-she would never admit it-uneasy under his intense gaze. "He's tall. He wears a long brown coat. Do you know him?"

Jenny-

"Yes-" a sudden clipped burst. "I-rather-I did." He corrects in a tumble, hands rising and twisting. "Jenny. _It's me."_

She pulls back now, weighting shifting down unconsciously on her back foot, just a little. Fighting stance.

"I'm-I'm the Doctor."

"_What?" _she's incredulous, then. "No, _you're not_." Who the hell did he think he was?

"_Please_-I am-" Why is he looking at her like that? Jenny watches his hands, but still she can see no weapons.

"You're mad." she says in disbelief.

She's _so close_-the Doctor steps forward then in a lurch, seeing the tilt as she goes to retreat from him-no don't run, it's so hard to stop once you start _please_-

"No-Jenny-please-" he can't get the words out. "-_Messaline!_" he rushes.

It stops her.

"Wh-how do you-"

"Messaline. Jenny. That's where we met…I know you don't understand but I'm the Doctor. Truly. And you were a soldier and then you were-I know I look different now but-" he dares another step and she doesn't move, transfixed. "I wish I'd known and you've been looking for me-I'll explain everything_-Jenny_." The Doctor's words roll into each other as he takes another step, reaches out slowly. "I wish I found you sooner. I wish I had never left."

She stays as she is. Wary…afraid? No, Jenny, no. Never be afraid. _I wont allow it._

"Father?"Jenny breathes, staring.

Oh, her voice. _Father._ Asking, so unsure- Slowly, _so slowly_-but he makes himself still; _wait_- she takes a half step.

_You mean you'll take me with you?_

_Well, can't leave you here-_

She flings herself to him. All the times she dreamt of this moment-what she would do when she found him, how she would react-_you left me-_all thought leaves her head. Jenny wraps herself around him in tight hug.

"My Jenny." he breathes, a confirmation, realization and thanks all at once, and she presses her face to his shoulder.

"I found you, you're here-" her hands tighten "You're _actually here_."

He presses a kiss to her forehead. He can't speak. There is so much he has to tell her. He wants to apologize-There are no words past the lump in his throat-

But he doesn't have to say them now. He will say them, but not just now. She is really here.

Not dead. _Not the last._ Together.

Time is theirs.

"Come on," he smiles encouragingly. Warily, Jenny looks at it as the Doctor unlocks the door, and then steps aside. "After you." She frowns at him, then steps past him and pushes the door open.

Jenny is captivated.

"It's…" The world is far bigger than she thought it was. She didn't know this sort of thing could be real… "….bigger inside. Bigger on the inside…" she repeats slowly.

The Doctor sees the wonder on her face, the bright, pure astonishment, and his hearts warm. Jenny. Of all the people inside the TARDIS…She suddenly whirls to face him, still wide-eyed, as if remembering he is there.

"Father-" she blurts, the questions jumping in her eyes.

"Daughter." He returns, amused. Then it catches him-_daughter-_and it must show on his face because suddenly they are beaming at each other like fools and she bounces forward to throw her arms around him in another fierce, impulsive hug and his own laughter rises up with such _joy_ that he is surprised.

"This is the TARDIS."

"TARDIS? Your ship?" She whirls a circle.

"My ship. The greatest ship there is-or ever will be. It stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space." Her eyes dart to him again briefly, then up to the ceiling. She steps slowly up to the console, hand reaching out to the railing. Suddenly, Jenny snatches her hand back in surprise as the lights on the walls flare, a deep hum vibrating up through the soles of the Doctor's boots.

"What's that?"

"She's saying hello. She recognises you."

"_She?"_

"The TARDIS is alive, Jenny. Sentient."

He comes up the steps, Jenny moving past him around the console, eyes darting at every detail, hands hovering as she takes in the controls. She comes back to stand in front of him. "But-_how_? How can it be bigger on the inside?"

"All in good time," oh, and they had so much of that now- "I promise, whatever you want to know." He grins and chucks her under the chin. "But first-do you know what's special about the TARDIS?"

Still facing her, he steps up to the console. "We have all of Time and space_. _Brand new worlds, Jenny." Transfixed, she doesn't take her eyes from his. Between them, the Rotor sighs into the rise and fall rhythm of flight.

"Everywhere," he continues softly, "Anywhere."

And a sound shivers down her spine and tickles the soles of her boots. A sound like nothing she has ever heard before. A sound Jenny's not sure she can even name. It is a sound she will forever associate with adventure and running and the furthest places and times. The sound she will automatically associate with the Doctor.

The sound of home.

**So, hope you enjoyed! Reviews are fish fingers and custard **

**Grá,**

**TheSoul**


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